Odd's Steps
by Wolfword
Summary: The days when Aelita and Jeremie seemed like a couple vanished, as Jeremie keeps working nonstop on his computer. As Aelita's sadness grows, a friend of her is decided to change the game...
1. Trapped

The tower was still far away from our heroes, but no monsters seemed on the way.  
"Watch out, X.A.N.A is very silent" said Jeremie through the headset 'What could he be planning...?'  
Just as the blonde finished the sentence, a swarm of hornets appeared from the bright desert sky.  
"Good deal, Einstein" joked Odd, dodging a laser "What other surprises do you have for us?"

After some laser arrows, sword slashes and fan cuts, just one hornet was alive. And it was heading for Aelita.  
"Help!" yelled the pink-haired, after getting hit by a laser. Ulrich and Yumi were very far from her, so Odd immediately began chasing the flying monster When he had the hornet at his shooting distance, something weird happened. He couldn't shot any arrow.

"Er, Jeremie? Are you still angry from my little joke?" "Nope, seems like you have no arrows left. Let me charge up some"  
Even before he started the sentence, Odd had jumped from his overboard. He landed perfectly with his claws on the hornet, dematerializing it.

"Great move, Odd!" shouted Ulrich from the distance. Odd landed perfectly in front of Aelita "Haha princess, so, how was my entrance this time?" Aelita laughed "Better than others, I suppose"  
"Boys, stop the party already. We don't know what was X.A.N.A doing, but it surely wasn't good business. Get to the tower Aelita"

'See you later, princess'

It was morning at Kadic, again. Odd's alarm clock was silent, again. And when he woke up, breakfast had almost finished (You guessed, again)  
"Hey Jeremie, why did you do a return to the past? We didn't see any X.A.N.A attack on earth" asked Yumi. She had to suffer another boring history class. Egypt was not her business.  
"Yeah, I had to suffer that wall climbing thing again" said Ulrich, biting his cheese sandwich.  
"I just wanted to make sure. You never know what could X.A.N.A be doing" answered Jeremie "Hey, where is Odd?"  
"Just here, Einstein" said the boy in question, gasping and with his clothes very untidy "Why on earth was my alarm clock silent?" Ulrich and Yumi winked at each other.  
"Seems like Aelita has something to say!" Shouted Ulrich, winking to her also.  
"Wasn't I supposed to steal his left shoe?" answered her "Shhh!" said the boys "Oh, I'm sorry" said Aelita, blushing a little bit "Aha! You were cheating me!" said Odd "I almost let my delicate stomach miss a breakfast"  
"Maybe we should ask your 'delicate stomach' how are you so svelte" said Ulrich, exploding in laughter as his friends.  
"Ok, I forgive you, just because Aelita opened her mouth. Next time you will know" said Odd, grabbing his second sandwich. The bell rang, and they headed to their classes.

"So, Odd" said Mrs. Hertz, heading to the boy who was speaking loudly "Seems like you know more about physics than me. What is the average of earth's gravity acceleration?"  
He thanked Jeremie in his mind for making the return to the past. After being embarrassed last time for saying 'the acceleration of a stone falling', he now had his opportunity.  
"9.81 metres per second per second, Mrs. Hertz" said the boy. "Wrong! Completely wrong! Absolutely... eh? That's... correct!" she said, not believing it.  
"Horray! I'm a genius!" shouted him, jumping from his seat. A burst of applauses has heard in the classroom, just as the bell rang.

"Well well Odd, I must say you that the result you gave wasn't correct, because..." Jeremie began.  
"Oh, stop it. He got enough with the alarm trickery" said Aelita. "At least someone understands me" answered Odd, hugging her.  
"Hi there!" said Yumi, arriving from her class "At least this time I knew my maths exam answers. What about your classes?"  
"Meh, more of the same. At least Odd surprised us answering something correct" said Ulrich. Odd gave an angry stare to him.  
"Speaking about maths, we have an exam tomorrow" added Jeremie. The angry stare was now replaced by a confused face.  
"Hey guys, stop the jokes now. Marks are something serious" said Odd "Is it a joke, true?" He gave nervous looks to his friends.  
"I'm afraid is true, Odd. How are you going to study?" said Aelita "I don't know... Hey, what about if we study together?" answered Odd 'Where did that come from? Good idea although'  
"Okay, what about if we meet at the library at 6? We have classes up to 4" said Aelita.  
"I don't like the library. Too much knowledge for my delicate brain" answered Odd. Aelita giggled "Okay, in your room at 6"  
Jeremie mumbled something, but no one noticed. The recess was over, so they headed to their classes again.

"Hey Aelita" whispered Jeremie in the middle of biology class "Weren't we supposed to work in finding a way to beat X.A.N.A after school?" Aelita looked down, she had forgotten it "I'm sorry Jeremie, it will be just one day. Furthermore, we have almost finished" answered Aelita.  
"I know but, X.A.N.A can attack anytime. Are you sure you want to help Odd?" Aelita thought for a moment.  
"Yeah" she said. Thinking about him made her blush a bit 'This is odd. Hehe, like him'  
"Aelita, I..." said Jeremie, interrupted by Ulrich "Hey, both of you, can you explain me what on earth is an organelle" 'Hmm... this class is going to be veeery long'

After a break, some sodas, a surprise exam and a couple of bad jokes, the clock showed 6:00.  
"Ok guys, I'm off. I need some study for tomorrow" said Odd, heading to Aelita "Unless our little princess has any regret"  
She giggled "Nope, let's go" They entered the building, heading to Odd's room.  
"Psst Jeremie" The boy shook his head "Is there something wrong with you?" questioned Ulrich.  
"Nope, I'm fine" answered Jeremie, getting off from his train of thought. Yumi had an idea in mind "Guys, want to go and watch a movie?"  
But Jeremie had another plans "I'm afraid I have a lot of work to do. See you later" The boy headed to his room.  
"So, it's you and me, Yumi" said Ulrich, blushing a little as the words escaped from his mouth.  
Yumi smiled "Yeah, let's go" 'Hehe, just as the old times'

Odd leaned his head and questioned once again "So, you say this bunch of lines are numbers?" Aelita began to cry of laughter "Yes, Odd, those are numbers!"  
"I feel tired, let's rest a minute" suggested Odd. "If you are tired with this, there is no way I can teach you equations" answered Aelita.  
"Equations? Is it food?" Aelita giggled "Hahaha, Odd, you're always thinking about food!"  
Odd showed his signature smile "How do you think I can keep this svelte body?" Aelita giggled and answered "Maybe exercising more, hehe" She bit her lips unconsciously.  
'Man, her lips are beautiful...' Odd thought, letting himself drift away 'Hey, what am I thinking about!'

"Did you enjoy the movie, Ulrich?"  
Actually, he was asleep from the beginning to the end of the film, but he didn't want Yumi to find out. "Er, yes, it was quite good"  
"What was your favorite part?" The boy turned to stone. He didn't want to hurt Yumi. He immediately had a great idea "The part when the boy asks the girl if she wants an ice cream"  
"Hahaha, ok, let's go for one" said Yumi smiling 'Now I'm totally sure. He is still the one'

"Okay Odd, now let's learn how to divide" Odd immediately draw lines in some numbers that he had written, splitting them. Aelita giggled "No, Odd! Not literally"  
"Then why do they call this division? Why do maths exist?" asked Odd in a philosophical way. He was learning, but it was somewhat boring. At least he was having a fun time with her friend.  
"Aelita, how can you know all this boring stuff?" Aelita thought for a second "I learned all of this in Lyoko after my father sent he and me there" She let go a drop from her eyes.  
"No! Don't cry" Aelita rested her head on his chest, crying "I just can't..."  
Odd took her hand "I'm sure your father would want you to be strong and carry on" answered Odd, receiving the girl in his arms. She felt warm and cozy there.  
"Thanks. You always make me feel better" was all that she could say before giving him a bear hug.

"Odd, how many times I must say..." Ulrich was interrupted by what he was seeing. Odd and Aelita hugging in a somewhat strange position. The couple immediately let go of each other, blushing.  
"Did I spoiled something?" questioned Ulrich "Nope, but anyway, you couldn't wait a little more to come? I still haven't learned all about tomorrow's test" answered Odd, trying to hide his face.  
Ulrich took his cellphone and spotted the hour "Odd, do yo know what time is it? Is half past midnight. I was very lucky not finding Jim in my way to the school. If he sees Aelita in the corridor she will really get into a mess"  
12:30! But how? For Odd it only passed as a couple of minutes. Aelita decided to go "Ok, I'm going to bed. Bye!" Just before closing the door, she winked to Odd. He returned a smile.

* * *

'Until tomorrow, princess'

* * *

After changing to their pajamas and getting in their own beds, Odd opened his mouth.  
"How was your date with Yumi" Ulrich blushed heavily "Er, it wasn't a date. We went to the cinema and then took an ice cream" "By the way, how was your evening with Aelita"  
"Good. Well, we didn't study much because I didn't understood everything, but we had a very good time together" He felt something weird in the last word 'together?'  
"Yeah?, why so?" asked Ulrich very intrigued. He noticed something strange that day between them.  
"Er... I... We spoke about many things and, I don't know, we just made fun of each other" Then, Ulrich answered just what Odd was thinking about.  
"You aren't interested in her, are you?" Odd blushed, but turned away so his friend couldn't see him, but it was late. 'Perhaps I can help him'  
"Nope, why do you think that? Friends can chat, make jokes, hug and... You know, it's nothing bad" answered the purple clothed boy 'Furthermore, her heart belongs to Jeremie'  
"Ok, maybe we can continue tomorrow. Night Odd!" 'I hope he doesn't do anything stupid. At least not for now'  
"Night Ulrich..." said Odd, falling asleep. He was very tired 'Maybe Aelita needs a rest from all that computer hassle that Jeremie is doing'

"Odd, are you all right?" The boy wasn't eating, in fact, he was staring at the window.  
"Well, I bet he is thinking about today's exam" answered Ulrich to Yumi's question "Are you, Odd?"  
"Eh? Oh, sorry friends. I didn't sleep well and I was just resting a bit" 'I hope Ulrich doesn't tell the others about our talking'  
"Hi there!" greeted a happy Aelita, walking to the table "Hi, Aelita" answered the others.  
"Hey, where is Jeremie?" asked Ulrich "I hadn't seen him since... er... the evening" Yumi smiled.  
'Oh no. The program. He must be asleep in front of the screen' Thought Aelita "I think that he is in his room. I'll go to see if he wants to eat"

Aelita knocked the door. No answer. So she entered.  
"Jeremie?" The boy was asleep with his head resting on the keyboard "Jeremie, wake up! It's breakfast time"  
He mumbled something and sat on his chair. 'Aelita, you broke your promise...'  
"Jeremie! Please, stop doing this to you! Stop doing this to us! Stop doing this to..." She hesitated just a second "Stop doing this to me..."  
"Aelita, I... I just want the best for all of us. I we destroy X.A.N.A, all of this will be over" Aelita began to cry "But I don't want you to destroy yourself..."  
Jeremie gave an angry stare to the girl "Just let me work. If you got nothing more to say, go out"

She ran Ran as far as she could  
But as soon as she stopped  
Images flooded her mind

Images of a digital trap  
And a boy who saved her

But the boy was now imprisoned  
In the same digital trap


	2. Ideas

"Has anybody seen Aelita?" Everybody scratched their heads upon Yumi's question. She hadn't appeared after lunch. In fact, she missed the whole Chemistry class "This doesn't seems good" said Ulrich. "Yeah, Jeremie has also not appeared" commented Odd "Ok. I'm going to her room. Stay here" said Yumi. She ran upstairs, then into the girls level. Eventually, she reached Aelita's door

"Aelita?" asked Yumi, before entering (As she got no answer) Yumi was terrified to saw a girl crying on her pillow, with her clothes very untidy and her hair very disordered.  
"Aelita..." She was suddenly hugged by Yumi, who couldn't contain herself "What happened? Why are you so sad?" The pink haired took a while to wipe all the tears from her face.  
She surely had a lot of things to tell to her friend, but she didn't want to spoil her day, so she simply summarized everything "I'm afraid that we're losing Jeremie"  
"Why do you think that?" asked Yumi "Because we don't se him so often now, he also gets angry very easily... Fighting X.A.N.A stress him a lot, but he doesn't want to get out of it... He... He is trapped inside the computer, just as I was" answered Aelita.  
"I think I have an idea that may help" said Yumi.

Odd and Ulrich decided to go out for a walk in the park. They had the maths exam in just ten minutes, but they didn't seem to care.  
"For the last time, I won't go on a date today with Yumi! It's friday, we're only going to, you know... Enjoy the rest of the day" Odd seemed to not believe his words.  
"Hahaha, stop lying to yourself, Ulrich. EVERYONE in Kadic knows that there is love between both of you, but that is another story" Ulrich blushed a bit. Odd continued.  
"Ah, Ulrich. I want to ask you something. I want some... tips, you know?" Ulrich smiled, the great Odd, asking tips to him? "Do you think a cinema is a good place to go with a girl"  
"A girl whose name begins with "A" and has pink hair? I don't know..." teased Ulrich. Odd blushed like him before, but this time it was no fun!  
"Hey, stop already. There is nothing between me and Aelita. I just want to free her from her daily stress" he stopped just a moment"You know, working in that computer stuff all day with Jeremie must be really boring sometimes..." Ulrich thought a bit "Good idea Odd, we may see her with a better mood, I hope"  
'Maybe Odd is not as stupid as I thought'

"Ok boys, you have 60 minutes to finish the test. No questions to the teacher. If you need a pen ask for it immediately"  
'Hmm... it seems like the first maths test that I understand. The help that Aelita gave me was very useful'  
After about 5 minutes of intense writing, erasing and thinking, a blonde boy with glasses stood up from his desk, left a piece of paper in the teacher's table and left the room.  
'That Jeremie... I don't understand how does he do it. Well I think that I must get back to work. Thanks again Aelita!'  
'Oh no! I bet he is going back to the computer. The speaking that we had seemed to not cause anything on him'  
'What the hell? Wasn't this a geometry test? Why did I bring all my rulers and stuff? WHAT'S A LINEAR EQUATION?. YUMI PLEASE HELP MEE!'  
"Well, well. So, Mr. Odd Della Robbia isn't going to go with us through the full hour" said the teacher as he received Odd's test.  
Aelita smiled 'He really paid attention to me'

"I think it was pretty easy. What about you, Ulrich" teased Odd. He saw him very complicated in the test.  
"Um... yeah. Beside the fact that I thought that it was about geometry, it was good" he said, feeling embarrassed. Aelita laughed.  
"Haha, you really surprised me, Odd. You finished the test so early?" "Yes, princess, thanks to the tips you gave me. Those pesky little numbers aren't match for the great Odd!"  
"Hi guys" said Yumi, coming from her classes "Hey, Ulrich, can we talk for a moment?" Yumi took the boy and they headed to the forest.

"Hey Aelita..." said Odd, a little bit nervous. "Yes, Odd?" she said, with a very cute face. It made him blush a bit.  
"You know, it's friday and I just want to do something interesting. And, I want you to rest from all the work that you're doing..."  
'Odd, thinking about... me?'  
"And, I was thinking, why don't we go to the cinema? There are plenty of good movies" Aelita couldn't be more excited.  
"That's a great idea, Odd! Thanks" she gave him a big hug.  
"Okay, so I'm going to my room, check some things here and there and I'll go for you" said Odd.  
"Yeah, I also have to check some things... It's 4:30, what about if we go out at 5:30?  
"Seems nice!" Aelita gave him a kiss on his cheek and ran to her room 'Hehehe, it feels good. Huh? Stop it, stupid Odd!'

"'The Great Odd', did the girl accepted your date?" Odd blushed madly, but he could control himself.  
"It's not a date, just call it a 'Cinema Evening'"  
"Yeah, whatever" said Ulrich, not believing him. He was hiding something.  
"And where are you going with Yumi?" asked Odd "Er... It's not your business Odd!" he said.  
"Aww, please. I told you where will I go with Aelita" "Ok, we are going to her house. Her parents wanted to meet me, again" He seemed a little nervous.  
"Good luck Ulrich" 'Poor boy'  
"Yeah, his father gives me the creeps" Odd laughed. He began ordering his clothes.  
"Is this some kind of joke? Are you looking for your best shirt?"  
"Hey, it's not a date, but that doesn't mean that I can't arrange myself a bit" 'I must look well if I want to go with the beauty of the princess... Beauty, did I say that?'

Aelita looked at herself in the mirror. She couldn't stop thinking about what to wear 'I only have pink clothes, but I want to really impress him'  
Then she remembered that she had bought some make-up. 'It must be here... there!'  
After finishing with that, she searched for that skirt that she had bought the other day 'I think it's perfect' She wore it and smile. Pink, just as her. Then, Aelita opened her wardrobe and looked for that nice shirt that she had bought the other day 'Ok, I'm ready'

"Come in!"  
Odd was in front of, maybe, the most beautiful girl he had ever see. He was speechless.  
"Wow..." was all that he could say. She giggled.  
"Hehehe, you like it?" He bit his lip "Princess, you look..." he hesitated a moment "Beautiful" 'What? Are you serious Odd? You're in front of a true angel and you only manage to say that?'  
She blushed and tried to hide her face, but he could notice "Thanks. Shall we go now? It's already 5:30" 'He also looks very handsome'  
"Yeah, let's go!"

Ulrich was on his bed, petting Kiwi, when a message of Yumi arrived.  
"My parents decided to go out. Unfortunately, you can't go. Sorry Ulrich :("  
'Well, at least I don't have to see her father now'  
Suddenly, a strange idea crossed Ulrich mind's 'I bet there is something that Odd is hiding about Aelita. But how can I... No, I can't do this, not her diary...'

"What about Finding Memo?" said Odd, trying to convince Aelita "I saw it when I was a kid, and it was really good!" 'At least I won't cry this time'  
Aelita thought for a moment "Seems good, let's buy the tickets" "And the popcorn with extra butter, of course" added Odd. Aelita giggled.

'If I were Aelita, where would I hide... Ahh, pretty easy'  
Ulrich looked inside her pillow and there was it. A pink, cologne impregnated diary. After that, he arranged the pillow and her bed, and went to his room.  
'Okay, let's se what do we have here:

'Dear Diary:

Today, Jeremie gave me this beautiful diary. It's been 3 days since he materialized me on Earth. It has been really hard to adapt myself to the new enviroment, but I hope I get over this soon. Finally I can get physical contact with Jeremie, it's been a wonderful experience to learn with him everything about this world. Smelling, tasting, feeling... New things that I never imagined. Also today...'

'Wow... very very deep for a girl who has lived all her life inside a computer...' Ulrich turned the pages, trying to find a more recent writing. 'Ahh this is from yesterday...'

'Dear Diary:

It was a weird day. There were good and bad things. Jeremie just can't get away of his computer, he even refuses being with me. I don't know what can happen to him... But, also, I helped Odd studying maths. We had a very good time chatting and joking around (You must know, diary, that Odd is one of the funniest person on Earth) Something that he said made me remember my father, but he made feel me a lot better. When we hugged I felt very warm and comfortable, I could have been in his arms all the night if Ulrich hadn't come to spoil the moment...'

'Hey, I didn't spoil it!'

'... I don't know if I feel something for him, something more than just good friendship. Only the time will tell me. I hope that this is not because I have lost Jeremie. I'll talk to Yumi,  
she knows more about these things'

'Okay, seems enough to me. I'll go to put the diary in her pillow again...'

"OH MY GOD! WHAT A GREAT MOVIE, ALL THOSE CHILDHOOD MEMORIES...!" said Odd as he cried and cried outside the cinema 'My god, I'm embarrassing myself in front of Aelita'  
"Hey! Good choice, I really enjoyed the movie" she said, giving a smile "Oh common, stop crying like a baby!" teased her 'I knew that his heart wasn't made of iron'  
"Sorry, Aelita. But... Oh well, it doesn't matter. Hey, what about if we go for an ice cream?" she leaned her face.  
"Ice what?" He gave her a smile "Don't worry, you'll love it"

After going inside the ice cream shop, Odd asked two ice creams. Chocolate for him and strawberry for her. "Hahaha, eating this is so fun!" she said 'Funny, she is so cute for not knowing what an ice cream is'  
"Yeah. I knew you would like it, princess"  
"Odd, you have some on your nose!" she said, getting close to him.  
"What?" Aelita went forward and licked the ice cream that was on his nose. Both laughed and then blushed 'Hey, that felt pretty good'  
"My god! Look at the time. Let's go back Aelita"

It was 12:45. They could escape from Jim and enter the school safely. Both of them were tired, but they felt really good inside.  
"Aelita, it was a wonderful night" They were at Aelita's door.  
"Thanks Odd. It really relaxed me from the stress. It was also very fun..." said her, as she leaned forward and kissed Odd's nose.  
"Goodnight Odd!" she added before rushing to her bed.

The boy was still red when he entered his room "Aha, so, our Romeo has come back from the city" teased Ulrich.  
"Very funny Ulrich. How was your business with Yumi?" answered Odd "Luckily, her parents went out so I didn't have to meet them, neither Yumi, unluckily"  
"Ahh... Well, we went to the cinema with Aelita and then we took an ice cream" said Odd. Remembering the ice cream thing made him chuckle a bit.  
"Hey, what's funny? Anything happened between you?" asked Ulrich. Odd took a while to answer "Maybe. Nothing serious but it involves, how to say it..." He laughed "Tongues"  
"WHAT? You kissed her? Odd you're crazy or...?" "Calm down boy, I never said both. She just licked my nose, and then kissed it..." Ulrich was awaiting for something else 'Common, Odd! Didn't you like it?' "And it felt really good" He understood immediately what he wanted to say 'Maybe Odd is looking for more...'  
"Well, it's kind of innocent. But I understand it, coming from Aelita..." 'Why doesn't he realize that he likes her?' "Please, Odd, don't do anything stupid..." added Ulrich.  
"Don't worry, I'm not thinking about that. Besides, she likes Jeremie, and... I..." Odd couldn't continue, he didn't want to hurt his friends "It doesn't matter Ulrich"  
"Okay... Night Odd!" "Night Ulrich"

'Night, beautiful princess'


	3. Music & Revelations

"Hi Aelita!" said Yumi as the girl placed herself in the table with her food.  
"Hi Yumi!" answered her, very excited "Hey, what happens, why are you so happy?"  
Aelita thought for a moment and decided to tell her what happened the day before.  
"Wow, quite a night!" said Yumi after Aelita finished "Yeah... very entertaining"  
"Do you have any other plans with Odd?" asked Yumi "Not really... I don't have so many ideas, but if he has one, I'll surely accept it" Her friend smiled.  
'Hey, she seems a lot happier now'

Ulrich and Odd were walking in the yard when they noticed a lot of people gathering near the gym.  
"Hey, what's up?" asked Ulrich to Yumi, who was already there. Odd also greeted Aelita with a kiss on her cheek.  
"Seems like 'FGJ' is coming to play a concert!" FGJ! The famous band! In Kadic!  
"Okay, so, shall we go in?" asked Odd. The gang entered the gym and sat near the stage.  
After 10 minutes, the band appeared onstage with all their instruments and stuff. They played a song from their new album 'Scenes from Amedhi'  
Everyone began screaming and clapping to the music. The concert lasted for an hour and they played 9 songs.  
'Hey, music is very interesting and exciting' thought Aelita.

"I think that the drummer was the best, he kept the tempo and had to play with all four limbs!" said Ulrich after exiting the gym.  
"Nah, the guitarist seemed amazing playing those licks and sweeps like nothing!" said Odd.  
"And the bassist? He played with an amazing soul and groove, and his solo was outstanding!" said Aelita.  
"The singer was also very good. He had very good pitch and his tone was soft and mellow" added Yumi.  
They went to the forest, seeking peace and rest from school.

"Being sincere, I think that we can play a lot better than these guys if we try" said Odd, trying to make his friends remember the band that they had.  
"Odd, we haven't played for years. I may sing sometimes, but not to perform" said Yumi.  
"Yeah, I think that I haven't touched the keyboard since that practice with Jim" added Ulrich.  
"You guys had a band?" asked Aelita innocently. They all laughed "Yes, we did have one. But... why didn't we kept playing? We weren't that bad" said Yumi.  
"And... what about if we make a new band? I really liked the concert and I was thinking, it might be a lot more exciting to play the music" suggested Aelita. Odd smiled to her.  
"I support her opinion, what do you think guys?" Ulrich and Yumi agreed to reunite as a new band.

"Aelita, do you really want to get into the beautiful world of music?" said Odd as he handled a big box in his hands. They were in Odd and Ulrich's room.  
"Yes, I do" They both laughed "So, Aelita Stones, I name you official bassist of the Kiwi's!" said Odd cheerfully as he opened the box and revealed a 6 string bass.  
"Wow it's... it's..." She stopped for a moment "Thanks..." an idea came to her mind and she blushed. But she resisted.  
"May I teach you how to play?" asked Odd "Yes, please" answered Aelita. She was very excited to begin.

After putting the strap on the bass, and connecting it to a small practice amplifier that Odd had, the session began.  
"Ok Aelita, I won't overwhelm you with music theory now, but I will teach you were are the notes... Let me take... um... your hand" he said, a bit nervous. He took her hand and guided her through the bass neck. "Look, over here is C, the first note that you will play. Put your finger here, and play the string with your other hand..." As Aelita was very nervous and couldn't do this at first, Odd took her other hand and plucked with it. He had now both of her hands taken, and he was behind her, almost hugging her, if it wasn't for the bass. Suddenly, an idea crossed his mind. He kissed Aelita's neck very softly. At first, she seemed a bit nervous and tense, but then Aelita relaxed and let him kiss her.  
She moaned in pleasure and took Odd's hands very firmly. "Odd, what..." she couldn't even speak.  
'I hope I won't regret this' He kept travelling across her neck, caressing her hands with his thumb softly. Time seemed to pass really slow as they entered a state of full joy.

None of them knew exactly how much time passed, but it was quite evident that it was a lot.  
"Odd, are you ready to...?" Ulrich couldn't finish his words 'Oh no! I did it again. Odd's gonna kill me'  
Immediately after the boy arrived to the room, the couple let go of each other. They didn't say anything, but their faces obviously spoke for themselves.  
"Aelita, I..." said Odd, just before she escaped from the room.

"Ulrich, you were all right... I didn't have to do anything stupid. Now I've screwed up everything. Aelita and Jeremie will never speak to me again..." He let a tear fall from his eyes.  
His friend got closer to him and gave him a hug. Maybe the first time he did this. Odd now felt better, he knew that his friend would be there to help him.  
"Odd, do you like her?" Odd's mind began working like never. He remembered every moment that they had passed together, in Lyoko and in the real world. The times she had help him, the times he had saved her from X.A.N.A, the times they have been together just for fun...  
It had been an amazing and exciting adventure of pure friendship. But it was over now 'What can I lose now?'

"Yes Ulrich. I'm in love with Aelita"


	4. Free

Aelita lay awake on her bed. She couldn't get asleep. 'God, what have I done? Why did I run away...?'  
She only wanted to feel him close to her again. She discovered that she had loved Odd a long time ago, but she had never noticed. Now that things were happening, and she began feeling strange things, there was no doubt. Images crossed her mind, images of their first meeting in Lyoko, images of them in the cinema, images of... of he kissing her the day before. It had been beautiful, why did she escape?  
'I must do something, I can't go back now'

"1, 2, 3, 4!" counted Ulrich before starting playing the keyboard. But nothing happened.  
"Hey, why don't you play?" asked him a bit annoyed.  
"Eh?" answered Odd. He was staring to Aelita and he didn't notice the count "Oh, sorry"  
"Guys, there is something wrong here" said Yumi, looking at Odd and Aelita "Are you...?"  
They blushed, looked at each other and decided to go out of the gym.  
"Ahh... here they go. I hope Odd has some luck" said Ulrich.  
"Yeah... I spoke to Aelita and seems that she is also interested in her..." Yumi and Ulrich crossed their sights as they spoke, smiling to themselves

"Aelita, we need to talk" the girl sat down on the grass, next to him and nodded.  
"Odd, I'm really sorry... I didn't want to go out of the room like that... I was scared and... I... I just couldn't control myself..." she said in a sad tone. Odd took her hand.  
"Don't worry, I understand..." they stared at each other, holding their hands.  
"Aelita... do you..." Odd was very nervous "I just wanted to know if you wanted to go to the dance tonight with me" Aelita smiled and kissed him on the cheek.  
"Of course! Thanks again Odd" The couple went back to the building, this time they kept their hands together.

'Dear Diary:

Now I can see everything clear. I've made a choice that can be very dangerous. Jeremie Belpois, the one who discovered me, cared for me, spoke to me everyday, tried uncountable times to materialize me and finally done it, has changed. Now he treats me like everybody. When I was trapped on the computer, I thought that there would be something more between us, but it hadn't happened. I can't recognize him now... But another friend, Odd Della Robbia now catches my attention. Since we met in Lyoko he has been very kind to me and very funny. I've never thought about it, but as we keep getting closer and closer to each other, I'm discovering that I'm in love with him. I don't know how can I tell him, because I'm not sure that he feels the same. I'm scared, because I don't want to lose the good friendship that we have forged through these years...

With him, I feel free and complete. This is my choice: Odd'

Ulrich closed the diary and Yumi put it back in the pillow "Hehehe, I knew it!" said Ulrich.  
"Well well, I hope they can get together. Hey! Tonight is the dance night, if Odd is smart enough, he'll invite her..." said Yumi.  
"Er... Yumi... about the dance" Ulrich blushed like never before "Would you like to go... to go with me?" Yumi also blushed. She leaned close to him and whispered to his ear.  
"Every day of my life"

"Are you ready Aelita?" asked Odd through her door 'Even without, makeup, Aelita will look wonderful'  
"Yeah, enter!" Odd opened the door and entered. Nobody seemed inside. Suddenly, he felt something hugging him and kissing his neck.  
"Aelita!" he said, looking at her. She was even more beautiful than the other night.  
"Odd!" she said. His friend didn't say a word "Hehe, did the rats eat your tongue?" she said. Odd shook his head.  
"Nope, princess. I was admiring your beautiful dress!" She giggled.  
"Shall we go now?" Odd offered his hand and accepted "As you wish milady" they both laughed. Aelita took his hand, and they headed to the gym.

Fortunately, there weren't so much people. And the DJ was very good. When Odd and Aelita arrived, they immediately saw Yumi and Ulrich dancing.  
"Princes, do you mind dancing this piece of music with the humble Odd?" She blushed and said "Hehe, not at all!"  
The night passed very fast, as both of them were very good dancers. After a while, the DJ decided to throw some slow songs. Yumi and Ulrich were very tired, but Odd and Aelita were still dancing 'How can they do it...?'

Odd took Aelita's waist and her shoulder. She also did the same. Both were moving perfectly to the beat of the music. Suddenly, they found very close to each other.  
"Aelita..." he whispered to her ear "It's been really a wonderful night. No, more than that. It's been amazing since I met you. Thanks"  
"Odd... I... I can't put on words how much you have help me every single time that I need it. You're always there... I have enjoyed a lot these latest days and I wanted to say... I"

"I love you"

Both stared at each other after saying the words and then, just before the song finished, they had a long and deep kiss. The time stopped for the couple and they saw, like on a movie, all the moments they had lived together. For everyone in the gym it happened like a second, but for them, it was like a lifetime. The lights turned on and they came back to Earth, finishing their eternal kiss.

When Odd and Aelita came back to the seats, near where Ulrich and Yumi were, they saw both also kissing. When they noticed, they stopped, blushing madly.  
"Hey... you didn't see that, did you?" asked Ulrich. The other couple laughed, as they also kissed one last time before the night finished.

* * *

The night was over, but the dream was just starting  
Years and years of fighting  
Now it was a complete paradise

Hard times will come  
Their bond will get harder

Hidden memories raised  
Where nobody but him could see

Hidden sorrows and tears that she had  
And he was the only who could understand

True friendship turned to love  
As the kiss engulfed Odd and Aelita

As the time passes, the feeling between both will extend  
Ladies and Gentleman, this story has come to an end!


End file.
